Something like that allegedly happened here in Lexington, at a small store just down the street: they say the owner was buying SNAP cards for cash, pills or "synthetic marijuana" and using them to buy stuff at other stores like Wal-Mart. Apparently they didn't buy much stock for the Barter House though as its few shelves were always almost empty, so all I ever got there was beer and for that I paid cash.

When I was working on my masters at a large state university, it was well known that you could get half-priced food in the university's food court.

The school had a rule that underclassmen had to live on campus and a certain dollar amount ($600/mo, I believe) had to be deposited to their I.D. cards (like a debit card) for food purchases at said food court, and select restaurants around campus.

These young men and women needed extra money for beer and clubbing more than they needed a hamburger, so they would wait outside the entrance and look for upperclassmen and grad students. You would tell them what you wanted, they would buy it on their card, and you gave them half the amount on the receipt.

AAlumni:When I was working on my masters at a large state university, it was well known that you could get half-priced food in the university's food court.

The school had a rule that underclassmen had to live on campus and a certain dollar amount ($600/mo, I believe) had to be deposited to their I.D. cards (like a debit card) for food purchases at said food court, and select restaurants around campus.

These young men and women needed extra money for beer and clubbing more than they needed a hamburger, so they would wait outside the entrance and look for upperclassmen and grad students. You would tell them what you wanted, they would buy it on their card, and you gave them half the amount on the receipt.

And the Kennedys ran hooch when nobody wanted the Micks around, either. Sh*t, a pack of wolves in three piece suits just bent us over the sink to the tune of 16,000,000,000,000.00 and blew it on Cayman vacations and whores. And they still have their jobs. Go ahead, make me give a sh*t about Achnad trying to game the system.

BlippityBleep:What, he's just following the business model of corporate america.

But see, he stole money that taxpayers were told would go to POOR people. We should be allowed to control every single movement of every penny of that and wax with outrage at any malfeasance. Now, welfare money that goes to RICH people, well, they know what they're doing and of COURSE they don't need food. They just need billions more to leverage the dirt from under our feet. That's different. That's business.

But he couldn't have bought the food stamps at just cents on the dollar if the undercover agent hadn't provided them, right? So without police involvement there couldn't have been a crime. Or am I missing something?

URAPNIS:With so many other people abusing the "system", who gives a shiat, really?

This. The money is already spent anyway. Every farking gas station in every farking major city has a big sign letting you know they accept EBT for all the "food" the gas station sells. I have the same attitude towards people who cheat on their taxes. They're just going to go out and spend that money anyway. Are we buying them a sports stadium? No? Then fark it. Every other time an economic discussion comes up, the issue is just a fraction of a percentage of something else, so "who cares", so....who cares.

Big_Fat_Liar:URAPNIS: With so many other people abusing the "system", who gives a shiat, really?

This. The money is already spent anyway. Every farking gas station in every farking major city has a big sign letting you know they accept EBT for all the "food" the gas station sells. I have the same attitude towards people who cheat on their taxes. They're just going to go out and spend that money anyway. Are we buying them a sports stadium? No? Then fark it. Every other time an economic discussion comes up, the issue is just a fraction of a percentage of something else, so "who cares", so....who cares.

Wow. No wonder our nation is sinking so fast.Nobody even cares that WE are paying for this.

Unfortunately, every year.. there are less and less of us that are paying.. and more and more leeches that are abusing the system.

Scorpio Rex:But he couldn't have bought the food stamps at just cents on the dollar if the undercover agent hadn't provided them, right? So without police involvement there couldn't have been a crime. Or am I missing something?

Did you RTFA? Your missing the other 80,000 people that did it besides the pigs.

It happens all of the time, here. There is one ice cream truck that cruises around, and I've seen the driver with a full cart of treats pay for it with an EBT card, then walk right out to his ice cream truck. There's also a Chinese restaurant owner that buys cartloads of meat on her card. I used to have to slice up hundreds of pounds of beef round for that woman.

How is this fraud? He wasn't scamming cards from the government. Those cards were given to people in legitimate need. They elected to sell him the cards as a way to raise money. He offered them a service, and used them to buy the food that those people were gonna buy anyway. He was just being a shrewd businessman. Why is everyone all up in his case?

master_dman:Big_Fat_Liar: URAPNIS: With so many other people abusing the "system", who gives a shiat, really?

This. The money is already spent anyway. Every farking gas station in every farking major city has a big sign letting you know they accept EBT for all the "food" the gas station sells. I have the same attitude towards people who cheat on their taxes. They're just going to go out and spend that money anyway. Are we buying them a sports stadium? No? Then fark it. Every other time an economic discussion comes up, the issue is just a fraction of a percentage of something else, so "who cares", so....who cares.

Wow. No wonder our nation is sinking so fast.Nobody even cares that WE are paying for this.

Unfortunately, every year.. there are less and less of us that are paying.. and more and more leeches that are abusing the system.

You're right. I'm a bit of an economic right winger, and I can't be bothered to give a shiat. Our government wastes so much money that a little extra spent in-country, by real people, even if they are scammers, just doesn't bother me. How much did we decide to spend to study why lesbians are fat?

master_dman:Scorpio Rex: But he couldn't have bought the food stamps at just cents on the dollar if the undercover agent hadn't provided them, right? So without police involvement there couldn't have been a crime. Or am I missing something?

Did you RTFA? Your missing the other 80,000 people that did it besides the pigs.

Did you understand what you read? $88,000. was rung through on his register. Which doesn't even mean anything really, those could have been legit purchases from his customers.

I got another set of whys. Why is this a "political" news story? Why are they so animated about it being "your tax dollars?" And why did they not interview the investigators? I am not saying he is not guilty I am just irritated by all the right-wing hype on it. What ever happen to reporting the news for news sake? Every news story now has to have some political backspin to it. I frankly do not watch TV news or subscribe to any paper that leans left or right. If I see too much about something in one direction I take it off my reading list

Am I correct in saying that there would have been zero illegal about this had he sent the owners of the EBT cards to WAL*MART with a shopping list and paid them in cash for the stuff they brought back?

Here in NM, there was a bill that went up to the Governor to sign into law that forbade ATMs that took welfare cards out of liquor stores, strip clubs, casinos and the like, but last I heard, she gave it a "pocket veto". In essence, if she doesn't sign it, after 45 days it expires. Good times. Building the economy on the backs off those least likely to afford it. Smart.

Ex-Texan:Here in NM, there was a bill that went up to the Governor to sign into law that forbade ATMs that took welfare cards out of liquor stores, strip clubs, casinos and the like, but last I heard, she gave it a "pocket veto". In essence, if she doesn't sign it, after 45 days it expires. Good times. Building the economy on the backs off those least likely to afford it. Smart.

Slaves2Darkness:URAPNIS: With so many other people abusing the "system", who gives a shiat, really?

Really, got any had facts on how many are abusing the system or are you just going by the general hatred spewed at the poor by Fox news.

Simmer down.I read his comment too, and "the system" isn't just food stamps. C'mon it's tax time, this is the time of year that the people of this great nation pay good money to have professionals write down that our unfinished basement is actually a home office.